Modular fuel storage system

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for modular fuel storage and transportation are provided. In an embodiment, a fuel storage system includes one or more fuel containers each supported by a fuel container support assembly. The fuel storage system may be mounted to a transportation device such as a vehicle or used in a stand-alone fashion. Each support assembly may include a plurality of detachable end support members such as end support members configured to support the end portions of the fuel container and side support members configured to support the body portion of the fuel container. Some of the end support members may include neck grooves such that when the end support members are coupled, the neck grooves form an enclosure around the neck portion of the fuel container. In an embodiment, the support assembly is configured to facilitate release of excess pressure in the fuel container.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/759,726, filed Feb. 1, 2013, which application is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fuel storage systems including fuel containers and support structuresthereof are generally used to store and/or transport fuels such asnatural gas. Typically, such fuel storage systems are custom builtand/or hard to assemble and/or dissemble, making it difficult to changethe configuration of or mix and match components of such systems. Thus,a need exists for improved systems and methods of supporting and/orstoring fuel. A further need exists for modular fuel storage that mayaccommodate various configurations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods and systems for modular fuel storage and transportation areprovided. In an embodiment, a fuel storage system includes one or morefuel containers each supported by a fuel container support assembly. Thefuel storage system may be mounted to a transportation device such as avehicle or used in a stand-alone fashion. Each support assembly mayinclude a plurality of detachable end support members such as endsupport members configured to support the end portions of the fuelcontainer and side support members configured to support and/or connectthe end support members. Some of the end support members may includeneck grooves such that when the end support members are coupled, theneck grooves form an enclosure around the neck portion of the fuelcontainer. In an embodiment, the support assembly is configured tofacilitate release of excess pressure in the fuel container.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a fuel containersupport assembly for supporting a fuel container. The fuel containersupport assembly comprises an end frame comprising a first end supportmember and a second end support member that are detachably coupled toprovide support for a neck portion of the fuel container; and aplurality of side support members detachably coupled to the end frame toprotect a body portion of the fuel container.

In some embodiments, at least one of the side support members can bedetachably coupled to both the first end support member and the secondend support member. The first end support member and the second endsupport member can be interchangeable. Similarly, the plurality of sidesupport members can be interchangeable.

In some embodiments, the first end support member and the second endsupport member each comprises a neck groove such that when the first endsupport member is coupled to the second end support member, therespective neck grooves form an enclosure around the neck portion of thefuel container. The first end support member and the second end supportmember can be coupled via a fastener. The fastener can include a wedgeor a bolt.

In some embodiments, the first end support member can include an openingthat is configured to facilitate release of excess pressure from thefuel container.

In some embodiments, the fuel container support assembly can furtherinclude a second end frame comprising a third end support member and afourth end support member that are detachably coupled to provide supportfor a bottom portion of the fuel container.

In some embodiments, the fuel container support assembly can furtherinclude a trailing edge fairing usable for reducing drag caused by wind,the trailing edge fairing detachably coupled to at least one of thefirst end support member or the second end support member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a fuel storagesystem is provided. the fuel storage system comprises one or more fuelcontainer support assemblies, each configured to support a fuelcontainer and comprising one or more openings configured to allowrelease of excess pressure from the fuel container, the one or more fuelcontainer support assemblies arranged such that the openings for the oneor more fuel container support assemblies form a channel for releasingexcess pressure from the corresponding fuel containers supported by theone or more fuel container support assemblies.

In some embodiments, each of the one or more fuel container supportassemblies comprises an end frame comprising a first end support memberand a second end support member that are detachably coupled to providesupport for a neck portion of a fuel container and a plurality of sidesupport members detachably coupled to the end frame to protect a bodyportion of the fuel container. At least some of the one or more fuelcontainers support assemblies can be configured to be coupled to anotherfuel container support assembly. The first end support member and thesecond end support member can be interchangeable. Similarly, theplurality of side support members can be interchangeable. In someembodiments, the first end support member and the second end supportmember can be detachably coupled via a groove and a wedge.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method forsupporting a fuel container is provided. The method comprises providinga partially-assembled support assembly comprising a first end supportmember configured to support a neck portion of the fuel container andone or more side support members detachably coupled to the first endsupport member, the one or more side support members being configured toprotect a body portion of the fuel container; loading the fuel containeronto the partially-assembled support assembly such that the neck portionof the fuel container is supported by the first end support member andthe body portion of the fuel container is substantially enclosed by theone or more side support members; and attaching a second end supportmember to the partially-assembled support assembly such that the neckportion of the fuel container is substantially enclosed by the first endsupport member and the second end support member.

In some embodiments, attaching the second end support member can includecoupling the second end support member to the first end support member.Attaching the second end support member can further comprise couplingthe second end support member to at least one of the one or more sidesupport members. The method can further comprise attaching a collar tothe neck portion of the fuel container prior to loading the fuelcontainer onto the support assembly.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in this art from the followingdetailed description, wherein only illustrative embodiments of thepresent disclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, thepresent disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, andits several details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, thedrawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature,and not as restrictive.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent, or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. A better understanding of the features andadvantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to thefollowing detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments,in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIGS. 1 a-d illustrate exemplary ways a fuel storage system may beattached and/or mounted to a vehicle.

FIGS. 2 a-d illustrate exemplary ways support assemblies of a fuelstorage system may be configured.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary fuel storage system, in accordance withan embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary fuel storage system with fuelcontainers, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a fuel storage system, in accordancewith an embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary an end support member of a fuelcontainer support assembly, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7 a illustrates another exemplary an end support member, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7 b illustrates an exemplary pair of a wedge and a groove, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 8 a illustrates another exemplary an end support member, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 8 b illustrates exemplary components of a trailing edge fairing, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary end support member, in accordancewith an embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary implementation of such an extra layerbetween a portion of a fuel container and a neck groove of a supportassembly, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIGS. 11 a-b illustrate an exemplary mechanism for pressure release in afuel storage system, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 12 illustrates a process for assembling a fuel container supportassembly to support a fuel container, in accordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatsuch embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerousvariations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilledin the art without departing from the invention. It should be understoodthat various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention describedherein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended thatthe following claims define the scope of the invention and that methodsand structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents becovered thereby.

The invention provides systems and methods for storing and/ortransporting fuels in accordance with aspects of the invention. Variousaspects of the invention described herein may be applied to any of theparticular applications set forth below or for any other types of tankattachment systems. The invention may be applied as a standalone systemor method, or as part of a system (such as a vehicle) that utilizesfuel. It shall be understood that different aspects of the invention canbe appreciated individually, collectively, or in combination with eachother.

FIGS. 1 a-d illustrate exemplary ways a fuel storage system 102 may beattached and/or mounted to a vehicle 104. In various embodiments, avehicle 104 may refer to any mobile machine or device designed or usedto transport passengers or cargos. Examples of a vehicle may includebikes, cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, aircraftsand the like. A truck may include a light duty truck (e.g., class 1,class 2 or class 3), medium duty truck (e.g., class 4, class 5 or class6), or heavy duty truck (e.g., class 7 or class 8). In some embodiments,the vehicles may be cars, wagons, vans, buses, high-occupancy vehicles,dump trucks, tractor trailer trucks, or any other vehicles. While avehicle is illustrated herein, any other live or inanimate object orsystem (e.g., a building, a person, an animal, and a robot) may beattached to the fuel storage system discussed herein in any suitablemanner including but not limited to the examples discussed herein.

In some embodiments, a fuel storage system 102 may be configured tosupport one or more fuel containers or vessels with the same ordifferent characteristics. The fuel containers may be of any size,capacity, shape and/or weight and may be made of any suitable material.For example, the fuel containers may have a shape that is substantiallycylindrical, rectangular, spherical, or the like. In addition, the fuelcontainer(s) may be used to store any type(s) of fuel such as solid(e.g., coal), liquid (e.g., diesel) or gaseous fuels (e.g., naturalgas). For example, gaseous fuels may include hydrogen or hydrogen basedgas, hythane, H2CNG, or any other gas.

In some embodiments, a fuel container may be configured to store fuel ator above a certain amount of pressure and/or at or below a certaintemperature. For example, the fuel container may be configured to storeliquefied natural gas (LNG) at or below a predetermined temperature(e.g., −260 F) or compressed natural gas (CNG) at or above apredetermined pressure (e.g., 3,600 psi). In some embodiments, the fuelcontainers may be constructed according standards promulgated byorganizations such as the International Organization for Standardization(ISO).

As illustrated by FIGS. 1 a-d, a fuel storage system 102 may be mountedor attached to any suitable portion(s) of a vehicle 104. In anembodiment, such as illustrated in FIG. 1 a (showing a side view of thevehicle 104), the fuel storage system 102 may be mounted behind a cab ofthe vehicle 104, for example, on the frame rail of the vehicle 104. Inanother embodiment, such as illustrated in FIG. 1 b (showing a top viewof the vehicle), the fuel storage system 102 may be mounted on one orboth sides of the vehicle 104. In another embodiment, such asillustrated in FIG. 1 c (showing a side view of the vehicle 104), thefuel storage system 102 may be mounted on the top of the vehicle 104,for example, on or in the roof of the vehicle. In yet anotherembodiment, such as illustrated in FIG. 1 d (showing a side view of thevehicle 104), the fuel storage system 102 may be mounted on a trailer ora detachable portion of a vehicle 104. In other embodiments, a fuelstorage system may be mounted to a vehicle using a combination of theillustrated methods. Variations of above-described embodiments are alsowithin the scope of the invention. For example, the fuel storage systemmay be installed in the front or back of the body of a vehicle. Invarious embodiments, the location and/or manner of attachment of thefuel storage system to the vehicle may be based on a variety of factorincluding the capacity and type of the fuel containers, type of thevehicle, business requirement, and the like.

In some embodiments, at least some of the fuel stored in the fuelstorage system 102 may be used to power and/or propel the vehicle 104that carries the fuel storage system 102. The fuel may be a gaseousfuel, such as natural gas. The fuel may be contained within a gaseousfuel containing device, such as a tank, vessel, or any other type ofdevice capable of containing a gaseous fuel. Any description herein of afuel tank, vessel, or any other type of gaseous fuel containing devicemay be applicable to any other type of gaseous fuel containing device.The gaseous fuel containing device may be capable of containing a fuelwith a certain amount of pressure. For example, the gaseous fuelcontaining device may be capable of containing a fuel having less thanor equal to about 10000 psi, 8000 psi, 7000 psi, 6500 psi, 6000 psi,5500 psi, 5000 psi, 4750 psi, 4500 psi, 4250 psi, 4000 psi, 3750 psi,3500 psi, 3250 psi, 3000 psi, 2750 psi, 2500 psi, 2000 psi, 1500 psi,1000 psi, 500 psi, 300 psi, 100 psi, or less.

In other embodiments, none of the fuel stored in the fuel storage system102 is actually used to power the vehicle 104. Such may be the case fora mobile fuel station (similar to that illustrated by FIG. 1 d) that isused to provide fuel in contingency or emergency situations.

In some embodiments, the fuel storage system may include one or moremodular fuel container support assemblies (hereinafter support modulesor support assemblies) used to support and/or secure fuel containerssuch as described above. In a typical case, a support assembly isconfigured to support only one fuel container. Alternatively, a supportassembly may be used to support more than one fuel containers. Suchsupport assemblies may be used to stabilize, support or otherwiseprotect the fuel containers from damage caused by movement (such asduring transit), external impact, natural elements, erosion, and thelike.

In various embodiments, a fuel storage system described herein mayinclude an arbitrary number of support assemblies and the supportassemblies of the fuel storage system may be arranged according todifferent configurations to accommodate different requirement orcircumstances, such as storage space dimensions, weight restrictions,and the like. For example, the configuration of the support assembliesmay be customized to fit a particular storage space (e.g., on a vehicle,in a warehouse). As another example, the support assemblies of the fuelstorage system may be detachably coupled to each other or separatelylocated.

FIGS. 2 a-d illustrate exemplary ways support assemblies of a fuelstorage system may be configured. In the examples, each rectangle prism202 is used to represent a support assembly that is configured tosupport a fuel container therein. While the support assemblies discussedherein are illustrated as rectangular prisms, it is understood that, invarious embodiments, the support assemblies may take on any suitableshapes such as cylinder, spheroid, triangular prism, and the like. Insome embodiments, the support assemblies are shaped to improve spatialefficiency, weight, cost, and the like, of the overall fuel storagesystem. For example, support assemblies shaped like rectangular prismscan be easily stacked or placed adjacent to each other, therebyproviding spatial efficiency. In an embodiment, such as illustrated inFIG. 2 a, the support assemblies 202 may be stacked on top of each otheralong one of the four side surfaces in a substantially vertical fashion.In another embodiment, such as illustrated in FIG. 2 b, supportassemblies 202 may be arranged along one of the four side surfaces in asubstantially horizontal fashion. In another embodiment, such asillustrated in FIG. 2 c, support assemblies 202 may be arranged alongone of the two end surfaces in a substantially horizontal fashion. Inyet another embodiment, such as illustrated in FIG. 2 d, supportassemblies 202 may be arranged along one of the two end surfaces in asubstantially vertical fashion. In other embodiments, the supportassemblies 202 may be arranged using a combination of the illustratedmethods or using any other suitable methods. For example, the supportassemblies 202 may be arranged in two-dimensional or three-dimensionalarrays or to form other regular or irregular shapes. Advantageously, thestructure of the support assemblies described herein allows the supportassemblies to be arranged into arbitrary configurations to accommodateany particular requirement or limitation (e.g., space restriction).

In various embodiments, support assemblies 202 such as illustrated inFIGS. 2 a-d may or may not be coupled (e.g., detachably or permanently)to the other support assemblies to form a configuration. In someembodiments, two support assemblies may be coupled or affixed to eachother using one or more fasteners. The fasteners may be an inherent partof support assemblies (e.g., tongue and groove, wedge and slide, jointsand the like) or external to the support members (e.g., wires, locks,glue, welding, and the like). Exemplary means of fastening two or moresupport assemblies may include nuts and bolts, nails, locks, latches,wires, joints, soldering, welding, gluing and the like. In otherembodiments, the support assemblies may simply be placed or stackedadjacent to one another without any fastening mechanism.

A fuel storage module may or may not share component(s) with adjacentmodule(s). Any means of fastening may be used to couple two fuel storagemodules such as using nuts and bolts, nails, locks, latches, wires,grooves and slides and the like.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary fuel storage system 300, in accordancewith an embodiment. The fuel storage system 300 comprises three supportassemblies 301, 302 and 303. In other embodiments, the fuel storagesystem may include more or less than three support assemblies. Asdiscussed above, support assemblies may be stacked or otherwise arrangedto improve spatial efficiency. In this example, three support assemblies301, 302 and 303 are stacked on top of each other in a configurationsimilar to that illustrated in FIG. 2 a. In other embodiments, thesupport assemblies may be arranged in other suitable configurations.

In the illustrated embodiment, each support assembly includes twoopposing end frames and a plurality of (e.g., two) side frames. An endframe may be used to protect a portion at or near an end of a fuelcontainer supported by the support assembly. The end frame may comprisea single end support member or two or more detachably-coupled endsupport members such as 304 and 306 or 308 and 310. The end frame mayprovide support for the distal portions of the fuel containers supportedby the support assemblies. In an embodiment, the end support members maybe configured to interface with a portion of the fuel container. Forexample, end support members 304 and 306, when coupled, may form anenclosure 305 shaped to interface with a top or neck portion of the fuelcontainer. For another example, end support members 308 and 310 may becoupled to provide support for a bottom portion of fuel container.

The two end frames of a support assembly may be identical or different.In some embodiments, one of the end frames may be configured to supportor interface with a particular end (e.g., top) of a fuel container whilethe other end frame is may be configured to support or interface withthe opposite end (e.g., bottom) of the fuel container. Thus, the two endframes may be different. For example, the top end frame may include anopening for supporting the neck of the fuel container while the bottomend frame may not have such an opening. Thus, the end support membersfor the bottom portion of the fuel container may not be configured toprovide support for the top portion of the fuel container. In some otherembodiments, the two end frames may be substantially similar, such asillustrated in FIG. 3. For example, the end support members 308 and 310may be substantially the same as end support members 304 and 306,respectively. In such cases, both end frames may be configured tosupport or interface with both the top and the bottom of a fuelcontainer. For example, in some cases, both the top portion and the endportion of the fuel container may have neck portions that are supportedby the end support members of the end frames. In some instances, the twoend frames of the support assembly and the components thereof may beinterchangeable, thereby lowering the cost of manufacturing and/orassembly of the fuel module.

In some cases, an end frame may include only one single end supportmember instead of two coupled end support members to provide support toa top or bottom portion of a fuel container. Such a single supportmember may or may not resemble the structure formed by the coupled endsupport members discussed above. For example, the single end supportmember may or may not include an enclosure similar to the enclosure 305to interface with a top portion of the fuel container.

In some cases, an end frame may include more than two end supportmembers that are detachably coupled to support a top and/or bottomportion of a fuel container. For example, in an embodiment, four endsupport members may be coupled to form an end frame similar to theenclosure 305 illustrated in FIG. 3. In an embodiment, the end framesdescribed herein are configured to support the weight of a fuelcontainer supported therein. In an embodiment, two or more end supportmembers of an end frame may have similar shapes and/or substantiallysymmetric along an interface where the two or more end support membersare coupled. For example, two end support members 304 and 306 havesubstantially the same shapes and are substantially mirror-images ofeach other along the interface where the end support members arecoupled. As discussed above, having such interchangeable and/oridentical end support members can help lower the cost of manufacturingand/or assembly.

A support assembly can further include a plurality of side supportmembers to prevent or reduce movement or damage to the body or sides ofa fuel container supported therein. As used herein, the term “sidesupport member” is used to refer to the component of the supportassembly that protects one side (but not the top or bottom) of a fuelcontainer. In one embodiment, the side support member may be formed by asingle-piece surface structure. In other embodiments, such asillustrated in FIG. 3, a side support may be formed by a top side frame(e.g., side frame 316) and a bottom side frame (e.g., side frame 318)with zero or more truss members 320 in between. Such a structure canhelp reduce the weight of the side support member.

A support member can includes a plurality of side frames such as 312 and314 or 316 and 318. In some embodiments, the planes formed by the sideframes may be substantially parallel to each other. For example, theplane formed by side frames 312 and 314 may be substantially parallel tothe plane formed by side frames 316 and 318. In other cases, the planesformed by the side frames may intersect each other, for example, in a“v” manner.

In an embodiment, one, two, three or more side support members may beused to connect and/or secure the two end frames such as describedabove. For example, in an embodiment, a support assembly may comprisetwo side support members each formed by a top side frame and a bottomside frame with zero or more truss members in between may be coupled toand all four end support members of a support assembly such asillustrated in FIG. 3. In another embodiment, a support assembly maycomprise only one side support member that may be coupled to all fourend support members. In yet another embodiment, a support assembly mayinclude four side support members each connecting the two end frames.

A side frame may be configured to couple with an end frame at each endof the side frame. Thus, the two ends of the side frame may be coupledto two opposite facing end frames. Where the end frame comprises one ormore end support members, one end of the side frame may be configured tocouple with at least one end support members. For example, side frame312 is coupled at one end to end support member 304 and at another endto end support member 310. In various embodiments, a side frame may becoupled to an end support member in any suitable manner such as via afastener (e.g., bolt) or being plugged directly into a socket or openingprovided by the corresponding end frame or end support member. In somecases, the side frame may be easily attached to and/or detached from anend frame to lower the cost of associated with assembly and/ordissembling of the support assembly.

As discussed above, a side support member may be formed by a top sideframe (e.g., side frame 316) and a bottom side frame (e.g., side frame318) with zero or more truss members 320 in between. The truss members320 may include one or more slanted bars such as shown in FIG. 3. Inother embodiments, the truss member 320 may include other patterns. Thetruss members may be permanently attached (e.g., welded or soldered) ordetachably attached to the side frames. In general, the design of theside frames and/or the truss members between the side frames may bebased on a variety of factors such as dimensions and/or capacity of thefuel container supported thereby, material used to construct the sideframes and/or truss members, strength-to-weight ratio requirement,location or position of the support assemblies in a configuration,aesthetic reasons and the like. In various embodiments, some or all ofthe components of the side support member (e.g., side frames) may beinterchangeable to easy the manufacturing, assembly, and/or disassemblyof the support assembly.

In various embodiments, a support assembly may comprise any number ofattachable and/or detachable components or members. For example, in anembodiment, a support assembly may include four components including twosingle-piece end frames and two side supports that connect the two endframes. In another embodiment, such as illustrated in FIG. 3, a supportassembly may include six components including two pairs of end supportmembers where each pair may be coupled to form an end frame and two sidesupports, each of which may be used to hold together all four of the endsupport members. In yet another embodiment, a support assembly mayinclude eight components including two pairs of end support membersdescribed above and four side frames, each side frame used to connecttwo opposite-facing end support members.

In various embodiments, a support assembly may comprise any number ofdistinctly shaped components. For example, in an embodiment, a supportassembly may require only two distinctly shaped components, one for anend support, one of a side support. In such an embodiment, two or moreidentical end support members may be coupled to form an end frame andone or more identical side supports may be used to connect the endframes. By reducing the number of distinct parts and increasing thenumber of interchangeable parts of a support assembly, the techniquesdescribed herein advantageously eases the task of manufacturing,assembly, and/or disassembly of such support assemblies. For example,such an approach may lower the cost of manufacturing by reducing thenumber of distinct pieces to manufacture and/or lower the cost ofassembly by reducing the risk of assembly error. In other embodiments, asupport assembly may require more than two distinctly shaped components.For example, the end support members for the top of the fuel containermay be different from the end support members for the bottom of the fuelcontainer. For another example, the side supports for the supportassembly may be of different shapes. The particular number of componentsand/or shapes of the components may be determined by cost, fuelcontainer type, fuel type, vehicle type, mounting environment and/orother considerations.

In some embodiments, the side frames may be designed to hold a fuelcontainer in one or more orientations. For example, in an embodiment,the distance between one pair of side frames (e.g., side frames 312 and318) may be less than the distance between another pair of side frames(e.g., side frames 314 and 316) so as to support a fuel container in asubstantially horizontal manner (e.g., with the narrow pair of sideframes 312 and 318 at the bottom and the wider pair of side frames 314and 316 at the top). In another embodiment, the distance between onepair of side frames may be substantially similar to the distance betweenanother pair of side frames so as to support fuel containers held eithersubstantially vertically or horizontally.

In some instances, the support assemblies located toward the bottom of astack of support assemblies (e.g., support assembly 303 in FIG. 3) maybe designed to be more durable or capable of withholding more impactthan the support assemblies located toward the top of the stack (e.g.,support assembly 301 in FIG. 3). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3,the truss members between side frames for the bottommost supportassembly 303 may be configured to withhold more impact than the trussmembers for the support assemblies on top of it (e.g., supportassemblies 301 and 302) making it sturdier than the other of the supportassemblies laid on top of it. In contrast, minimal truss members may besupported for the topmost support assembly 301. In some embodiments, thebody portion of a fuel tank at least partially enclosed by the planesformed by the side frames of a fuel container support assembly. Ingeneral, various support assemblies with the same or differentcharacteristics may be mixed-and-matched to suit the need of particularconfigurations of the support assemblies.

In various embodiments, components or portions of a support assemblydescribed herein (e.g., end support members, side frames, truss members,side support) may be constructed using any suitable material orcombination of materials. For example, the materials used may includemetal such as steel, iron, aluminum, titanium, copper, brass, nickel,silver and the like or any alloys or combinations thereof. The materialsmay also include a polymer or a composite material, such as carbonfiber, or fiberglass. The choice and amount of materials used may bebased on various factors including cost, strength-to-weight ratios,location or position of the support assemblies in a configuration,aesthetic reasons and the like. In some instances, the supportassemblies located toward the bottom of a stack of support assemblies(e.g., support assembly 303 in FIG. 3) may be designed with a moredurable and/or heavier material than the material used for the supportassemblies located toward the top of the stack (e.g., support assembly301 in FIG. 3). In various embodiments, the dimensions of components orportions of a support assembly described herein (e.g., end supportmembers, side frames) may be based at least in part on thecharacteristics of fuel containers (e.g., dimensions, capacities, typeof fuel) supported therein, space considerations for the supportassemblies, and the like.

A uniform interface for connection may be provided between components ofa support assembly to lower the cost of manufacturing, assembly, and/ordisassembly of the support assembly. As such, during assembly of asupport assembly, the components may be mixed-and-matched. For example,in an embodiment, different components of the support assembly may beconnected using a LEGO-like interface For example, the interface forcoupling a side frame and an end support member may be the same betweenany side frame and end support member. Besides facilitating connectionbetween internal components of a support assembly, such uniforminterface may allow one support assembly to be coupled externally toanother support assembly. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, supportassemblies 301, 302 and 303 are stacked vertically along their sidesupport members or side frames. The side support members and/or endframes may provide fastening mechanisms for affixing two adjacentsupport assemblies. Thus, the end support members may be coupled orconnected without the use of additional hardware. Additionally, adjacentsupport assemblies may be coupled by external fasteners such as nuts andbolts to better secure the support assemblies. For instance, suchfasteners may be used to couple end support members 304 and 322 and/orto couple end support members 310 and 324. In yet other embodiments, thesupport assemblies may be arranged (e.g., stacked or placed adjacent toeach other) without being coupled or connected.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary fuel storage system 400 with fuelcontainers, in accordance with an embodiment. The fuel storage system400 includes multiple support assemblies 401, 403 and 405 that areconfigured, such as in a manner similar to that described in connectionwith FIG. 4, to support multiple fuel containers 402, 404 and 406,respectively. In an embodiment, support assemblies 401, 403 and 405 canbe stacked so as to prevent or reduce movement relative to one another.In some cases, the top portions of the fuel containers 402, 404 and 406stored therein may be sandwiched between the end support members of thesupport assemblies to further secure the fuel containers. In anotherembodiment, the fuel storage system 400 may include a multi-containersupport assembly rather than multiple detachable support assemblies. Forexample, a three-container support assembly may include three stackedsingle-container support assemblies where the end frames are weldedtogether while the side frames may be detachable to facilitate loadingand/or unloading of the fuel containers. In an embodiment, supportassemblies 401, 403 and 405 can be stacked so as to prevent or reducemovement relative to one another. The ends of the fuel containers 402,404 and 406 stored therein may be sandwiched between the end supportmembers of the support assemblies. As discussed above, for each supportassembly, the end support members may be connected by one, two or moreside supports. A side support may include, for example, twosubstantially parallel side frames and zero or more truss members inbetween the side frames.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a fuel storage system 500, in accordancewith an embodiment. The fuel storage system 500 may include multiplesupport assemblies such as discussed above. In particular, the end frameof the support assembly may comprise two detachably coupled end supportmembers. One of the two end support members may be removed to allow theloading of a fuel container. In particular, a fuel container 502 isloaded into a support assembly 501 (such as described in connection withFIG. 4). The neck portion 504 of the fuel container 502 may rest on aneck groove 505 on a first end support member 506. Such a neck groove505 may include a hollow concave shaped to interface with a neck portionof the fuel container. A second end support member (not shown) may havea matching neck groove such that when the second end support member iscoupled to the first bottom end support member 506, the neck portion 504of the fuel container 502 is substantially enclosed, clamped orotherwise protected by an enclosure formed by the neck grooves of thefirst and second end support members. In various embodiments, the shapeand dimensions (e.g., diameter, length) of the enclosure formed by theneck grooves may be configured to secure or protect the neck portion ofthe fuel container. For example, where the intersection of the neckportion is a circle, the shape of the enclosure may resemble a circleand an intersection of the neck grove 505 may resemble a portion of acircle such as a semi-circle. Where the intersection of the neck portionis a rectangle, the shape of the enclosure may resemble a rectangle. Inan embodiment, the enclosure may form an opening through an end framesuch that the top of the fuel container is visible from the other sideof the end frame. In another embodiment, the enclosure may form a hollowcavity but not an opening in the end frame such that the top of the fuelcontainer is not visible from the other side of the end frame.

Similarly, support assembly 508 (partially shown) provides an example ofan assembled support assembly with a loaded fuel container. Asillustrated, an end support member 510 with neck groove 514 is coupledto another end support member 512 with neck groove 516 are coupled suchthat the neck grooves 514 and 516 form an enclosure around the neckportion of the fuel container supported by the support assembly.

FIG. 5 also illustrates exemplary methods for loading a fuel containerinto a support assembly and unloading a fuel container from a supportassembly. In an embodiment, opposite-facing end support members may becoupled to one or more side frames such as side frame 520 to form apartially assembled support assembly such as 501. At least one of theend support members is not added to allow an opening through with a fueltank may be loaded into the partially assembled support assembly. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the top end support membercorresponding to the bottom end support member 506 is not assembled. Inother words, one end of the side frames such as 522 are not coupleddirectly to an end support member. Next, a fuel container such as fuelcontainer 502 may be loaded into the support assembly such that at leasta portion of the fuel container (e.g., the neck portion) interfaces(directly or indirectly) with an end support member such as end supportmember 506. Lastly, one or more end support member(s) similar to endsupport member 510 may be coupled to the existing end support memberand/or one or more side frames such as side frame 522 to form acompletely assembled support assembly such as support assembly 508. Forexample, one such end support member may be attached to from an endframe for the top portion of the fuel container and another end supportmember may be attached to form an end frame for the bottom portion ofthe fuel container.

To unload a fuel container supported by a support assembly describedherein, at least one of the end support members of the support assembly(e.g., end support frame 510) before the fuel container may be liftedout of the support assembly. In some embodiments, at least one of theside frames may be also be removed to unload the fuel container.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary end support member 600 of a supportassembly, in accordance with an embodiment. In an embodiment, one, twoor more end support members may be coupled to each other to form an endframe for supporting the top or bottom portion of a fuel container. Inan embodiment, the end support member 600 has a neck groove 602 shapedto interface with a portion such as a neck portion of a fuel container.For instance, the neck groove 602 may have a hemispherical shape or aportion thereof.

In an embodiment, the end support member 600 includes an inner surface604 and an outer surface 606 that are substantially parallel to eachother. The neck groove 602 may be situated at or near the middle of theinner surface. The inner surface 604 may be configured to be coupled oradjacent to an inner surface of another end support member such that theneck grooves of the two end support members form an enclosure to supportthe neck portion of a fuel container, as described above. The innersurface 604 may include characteristics that support the coupling withanother inner surface. For example, the inner surface may include one ormore holes 605 for bolting or other similar purposes. The holes 605 maybe used to thread pipes, wires, or other objects through the fuelstorage system.

The outer surface 606 may be configured to be coupled or adjacent to anouter surface of an end support member of another support assembly, suchas when the support assemblies are stacked on top of each other. Theouter surface 606 may include characteristics that support the couplingwith another inner surface. For example, the inner surface may includeone or more holes 607 for bolting or other similar purposes. The holes605 may be used to thread pipes, wires or other objects through the fuelstorage system.

In various embodiments, the end support member may be constructed toimprove durability, weight-to-strength ratio, reusability and othercharacteristics. For example, the end support member 600 may include oneor more holes 608 to reduce overall weight of the end support member. Asanother example, the end support member 600 may be symmetric along anaxis running through the center of the neck groove 602 to provide evendistribution of the weight along the axis. As yet another example, theend support member 600 may include an arch structure below the neckgroove to distribute the load similar to a bridge. Further, as discussedabove, components or portions of the end support member described hereinmay be constructed using any suitable material or combination ofmaterials such as described in connection with FIG. 4.

In various embodiments, the pair of end support members that may becoupled to form an end frame in a support assembly may be substantiallythe same or different. For example, in an embodiment, the pair of endsupport members may be interchangeable. One end support member may bestacked on another in a symmetric or mirror-image fashion. In anotherembodiment, the more weight-bearing support member of the pair of endsupport members may be constructed to be sturdier (e.g., using a moredurable material) than the less weight-bearing member. In someembodiments, two or more end support members may be used to providesupport for an end (top or bottom) portion of a fuel container. Forexample, in an embodiment, four end support members each with a curvedneck groove may be coupled in a circle to form a circular neck enclosuresimilar to described above, where each of the four end support membersmay occupy a quadrant of the end frame.

FIG. 7 a illustrates another exemplary an end support member 702, inaccordance with an embodiment. In this example, the end support member702 provides a neck groove 704 such as described in connection with FIG.6. In some embodiments, the surface of the neck groove 704 may beconstructed to provide support for at least a portion of a fuelcontainer interfacing with the neck groove. For example, the surface ofthe neck groove 704 may include a plurality of threaded groovessubstantially perpendicular to the longitude of the neck groove toprovide better support of the neck portion of the fuel container. Forexample, the grooves may be provided to increase the friction betweenthe neck portion of the fuel container and the end support member so asto prevent or reduce the movement of the fuel container longitudinallyrelative to the end support member.

In an embodiment, the end support member 702 also includes an innersurface 706 that may be coupled with an inner surface of another endsupport member of the same support assembly. In various embodiments, thepair of end support members may be coupled in any suitable manner. Forexample, in an embodiment, a wedge attached to the inner surface of anend support member may be engaged with a matching groove on the innersurface of another end support member. The wedge and groove may be ofany shape or dimensions. For example, the wedges may be of a taperedshape such as illustrated by tapered wedge 708 and the correspondinggroove may be of a tapered shape such as illustrated by grooves 710 and712. In some embodiments, shapes of wedges and grooves other thanillustrated may be used. In general, any shaped features such asillustrated may be provided to prevent the end support members frommoving laterally or away from each other.

In some embodiment, an end support member may provide one or more wedgeand/or one or more grooves. In an embodiment, the longitude of a groovemay intercept with an edge of the inner surface of the end support (suchas illustrated by groove 710 and 712) so that the groove may engage witha corresponding wedge of another end support member when the pair of endsupport members move relatively in a direction substantially parallel tothe longitude of the groove.

In an embodiment, one or more such grooves may be provided for one endsupport member, the longitudes of the grooves may be associated with oneor more directions. Such shaped features may be separate from the endsupport members or built-in as part of the end support members. Forexample, in an embodiment, one or more separate tapered wedges 708 orother shaped objects may be pressed into (or otherwise inserted into)one or more channels formed by matching grooves of two end supportmembers when the end support members are stacked as mirror-images ofeach other.

In an embodiment, the end support member 702 may also include one ormore openings, such as openings 714 and 716. In some instances, suchopenings may be used for venting excess pressure from a fuel containeror for threading pipes or other objects through.

FIG. 7 b illustrates an exemplary pair of a wedge and a groove, inaccordance with an embodiment. The example provides an intersection viewof a tapered wedge 720 of an end support member 722 and a tapered groove722 of an end support member 726 such as described above in connectionwith FIG. 7 a. The tapered groove 722 may be configured to engage with aportion of the tapered wedge 720 when the tapered wedge 720 is slid intothe tapered groove 722, for example, in a direction substantiallyparallel to the longitude of the groove 722. In some embodiments, a gap728 between the members 724 and 726 may result from a portion of thetapered wedge 720 that is not does not fit in tapered groove 722. Such agap 728 may be desirable in some instances. For example, the gap mayfacilitate easy coupling and/or decoupling of a pair of end supportmembers. Alternatively, there may be no gap between the coupled endsupport members. In some embodiments, wedge and the grove may be ofshapes other than those illustrated herein.

FIG. 8 a illustrates another exemplary end support member 800, inaccordance with an embodiment. In this example, the end support member800 may be similar to the end support member 702 discussed in connectionwith FIG. 7 except that the end support member 800 additionally includesa trailing edge fairing 802. Such a trailing edge fairing 802 may beattached (detachably or not) to a surface or side 803 of an end supportmember. In an embodiment, such a fairing may be used exposed outside ahousing (e.g., a cab of a vehicle) for a support assembly while the restof the support assembly may be covered or enclosed by the housing. Thefairing may be used to removing the movement of the end supportassembly, for example, relative to the housing of the support assembly.

In some embodiments, the fairing may be used to reduce drag that mayexist, for example, when the end support member moves through the air aspart of a fuel storage system mounted on a moving vehicle. For example,the fairing 802 may be coupled to the end support member 800 using abolt 807. In some embodiments, the trailing edge fairing 802 may beattached or coupled to various portions of the end support member 800based, for example, on the direction of the wind. For example, theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 8 a may be used to reduce drag causedby wind blowing in the direction indicated by the arrow 804. Thetrailing edge fairing may be attached to the other side 806 of the endsupport member 800 if the direction of the wind is reversed. In someembodiments, two or more edge trailing fairing may be provided, forexample, one on each side of the end support member. In variousembodiments, the trailing edge fairing may be constructed withmaterial(s) similar or different to those used for the supportassemblies based on considerations such as cost, weight, durability andother factors. For example, the trailing edge fairings may beconstructed using light-weight materials such as aluminum or polymer.

FIG. 8 b illustrates exemplary components of a trailing edge fairing808, in accordance with an embodiment. This example provides a topintersection view of the fairing components including those illustratedin FIG. 8 a. In this example, the trailing edge fairing 808 may includea fairing portion 814 that may be used to reduce drag. The fairingportion may be attached to an end support member, for example via nutsand bolts through one or more holes 810 and/or via a protruding wedge812 that may fit into a groove along a side of the end support member.In other embodiments, the faring may be attached to the end supportmember via other means.

In an embodiment, one or more plate members 816 may be used to provide asmooth surface of an end support member to reduce drag, for example, bycovering up the gap 805 between the two ends of the end support member.In some embodiments, such a plate members 816 may be coupled to an endsupport member with any fastening members such as glues, joints, tongueand grove, bolts, and the like.

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary end support member 900, inaccordance with an embodiment. In this embodiment, the inner surface ofthe end support member may include one or more slightly-raised plates902. Such plates may include holes 904 used to for securing the endsupport member 900 with another end support member such as via nuts andbolts, wires, strings, ropes, buckles, pins, rings, and the like. Insome cases, the raised plates may interface with a correspondingstructure on the other end support member to provide stability. In someembodiments, the raised plates 902 may also be used to provide somespacing between the surfaces of end support members.

In an embodiment, the end support member includes hollow interiors 906used to reduce overall mass of the end support member, increase thestrength-to-weight ratio, providing housing for other components (e.g.,piping) and the like.

As discussed above, the end support member may provide a neck groove forsupporting the neck portion of a fuel container. In some embodiments,the neck portion of the fuel container may directly rest on such a neckgroove. In other embodiments, an extra padding or layer may be providedbetween the neck portion of the fuel container and the neck groove. Sucha padding or layer may be provided to better secure and/or protect thefuel container, reduce wear-and-tear of the end support member, providea customized fit for the fuel container, and the like. FIG. 10illustrates an exemplary implementation 1000 of such an extra layerbetween a portion of a fuel container and a neck groove of a supportassembly, in accordance with another example. In this example, a collar1002 may be (detachably or non-detachably) coupled to the neck portionof a fuel container (not shown) before the neck portion is placed on theneck groove 1004 of an end support member. Such a collar 1002 may beused to absorb and/or reduce damage to the fuel container, to bettersecure the neck portion (e.g., to prevent slipping), to provide adaptingbetween the neck portions of different sizes and a universal neckgroove, and the like. When worn, such a collar, rather than the endsupport member, may be replaced thereby increasing the durability of theend support member.

Various methods may be used to couple such a collar 1002 to the neckportion of a fuel container. For example, in an embodiment, interfacingsurfaces of the collar and the neck portion of the fuel containerinclude threaded grooves so that the collar may be screwed onto the neckportion. In an embodiment, the collar may include longitudinal slit andthe collar may be resiliently spreadable at the slit to enclose aportion of a neck portion of a fuel container. As another example, twohalf-spherical collars may be clamped around the neck portion, forexample, via bolting.

In some embodiments, the collar 1002 may act as an adapter between theneck portion of a fuel container and a neck groove. For example, in anembodiment, such collars may be used to adapt neck portions of differentdimensions (e.g., diameters) to a universal neck groove. In variousembodiments, the dimensions (e.g., inner diameter, outer diameter) ofthe collar may vary according to dimensions of the neck grooves, thedimensions of the neck portion of fuel containers, the environment andthe like. In various embodiments, the material(s) used to construct suchcollars may be determined by cost, strength-to-weight ratio, impactrequirement, the material for the neck portion of the fuel containerand/or neck groove, the environment and the like. For example, thecollars may be made from elastic, shock-absorbing, and/or high-frictionmaterial(s).

According to an aspect of the present invention, the fuel storage systemdescribed herein provides mechanisms for releasing pressure buildup inthe fuel containers supported therein. In warm weathers, gaseouspressure may build up in a fuel container. Such pressure buildup may beundesirable and/or dangerous unless the excess pressure is timelyreleased. FIGS. 11 a-b illustrate an exemplary mechanism for pressurerelease in a fuel storage system, in accordance with an embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 11 a, an end support member 1102 may include a mainthrough-hole 1104 (similar to the opening 714 of FIG. 7) on an innersurface 1108 of the end support member 1102. Such a through-hole 1104may be substantially aligned with a similar through-hole 1105 on theopposing outer surface 1109 of the end support member 1108 as well asother similar through-holes on the surfaces of other end supportmember(s) configured be stacked or placed adjacent to the end supportmember 1108 to form a main channel 1110 in which excess pressure may bereleased.

In an embodiment, the end support member 1102 may include a sidethrough-hole 1106 (similar to the opening 716 of FIG. 7) that may openinto the main channel 1110 described above. In an embodiment, excesspressure in a fuel container supported by the end support member 1102may be released through the side through-hole 1106 into the main channel1108. The side through-hole 1106 may be connected to a pressure releasevalve coupled to the fuel container. Such a pressure release valve maybe located near the neck portion of the fuel container. In anembodiment, excess pressure may be carried by pipes located within thehollow channels connecting the through-holes described above. Such pipesmay be made from materials such as polymer, aluminum or the like. Inanother embodiment, at least some portions of such hollow channels maynot house any such pipes.

As discussed above, the through-holes of end support members formultiple support assemblies may line up approximately to supporteffective release of excess pressure across multiple fuel containers.FIG. 11 b illustrates an exemplary fuel storage system with pressurerelease, in accordance with at least an embodiment. In this example,multiple support assemblies 1120, 1122 and 1124 are stacked on top ofeach other. Each support assembly has a pair of end support members suchas end support members 1126 and 1128. The pair of end support membersmay have through-holes that line up to form the main channel 1130 suchas similar to the main channel 1110 discussed in connection with FIG. 11a. In addition, one or both of the end support members have a sidethrough-hole for releasing pressure of an individual fuel container intothe main channel 1130. When multiple such support assemblies are stackedsuch as illustrated, excess pressure from the fuel containers supportedby these support assemblies may be released via the individual sidethrough-holes into the common channel 1130. In various embodiments,components forming the main channel may or may not be fluid-tight. Forexample, in an embodiment, fuel may escape or vent through thecomponents, such as a gap between the end support member 1126 and 1128.

As discussed above, techniques described herein may provide a modularand simplified approach to supporting and/or transporting fuelcontainers. FIG. 12 illustrates a process or method 1200 for assemblinga fuel container support assembly to support a fuel container, inaccordance with an embodiment. In an embodiment, the process 1200includes providing 1202 a partially assembled support assembly such asillustrated by the support assembly 501 of FIG. 5. In an embodiment,providing the partially assembled support assembly includes connectingtwo opposite facing end support members with at least two side frames,for example, to form a substantially rectangular prism shape. Multiplesupport assemblies thus shaped can be easily stacked or otherwisearranged in a spatially efficient manner. In other embodiments, thesupport assembly may have other shapes. In some embodiments, providingthe partially assembled support assembly includes connecting at leastone of the end support members with at least one of the side supportmembers. In some cases, at least one of the end support members and/orside support member (or a component thereof) are not assembled to allowthe fuel container to be loaded into the support assembly. For example,one of the end support members forming a neck enclosure for a neckportion of the fuel container may not be attached. In some embodiments,a side support member or a component thereof (e.g., a side frame) maynot be attached to allow the loading of the fuel container.

In an embodiment, the process 1200 includes loading 1204 a fuelcontainer into the partially-assembled support assembly described above.In some embodiments, a portion such as the neck portion of the fuelcontainer may interface with one of the end support member. For example,the neck portion may rest upon a neck groove provided by the end supportmember, such as discussed in connection with FIG. 5. In someembodiments, a collar or a similar member may be coupled or attached tothe neck portion before the neck portion interfaces with the end supportmember to provide additional support and/or adaptation, such asdiscussed in connection with FIG. 10.

In an embodiment, process 1200 includes complete 1206 assembly of thesupport assembly. Completing the assembly of the support assembly mayinclude attaching at least one end support member and/or side frame tothe partially-assembled support assembly. For example, to complete theassembly, one or more end support members that complete the neckenclosure of the fuel container may be coupled to the already-assembledend support member(s) forming the neck enclosure. Additionally, the endsupport member(s) may be coupled to existing side support members orcomponents thereof (e.g., side frames) to complete the assembly.

In some embodiments, additional and/or different steps may be providedto assemble and load the support assembly. For example, in anembodiment, one or more side frames may be attached after the completeassembly of the end frames. For example, the end support members may beclasped around the neck portion of a fuel container first. Then, theside support members may be attached to the end support members toprotect the body portion of the fuel container. Lastly, another set ofend support members may be attached to the side support members tocomplete the assembly of the support assembly. In an embodiment, apartially-assembled support assembly comprises some or all of the sidesupport members already attached to a first end frame. The first endframe may be for the bottom portion or the top portion of the fuelcontainer. The fuel container is then loaded into thepartially-assembled support assembly before a second end frame isassembled. Assembling the second end frame may include assemblingcomponents of the end frame as well as attaching the second end frame tothe existing side support members.

In addition, multiple support assemblies may be coupled, stacked orotherwise arranged according to various configurations, such as thosediscussed in connection with FIG. 2, before or after one or more fuelcontainers are loaded into the support assemblies. In an embodiment,each of the multiple support assemblies is fully assembled and/or loadedbefore the support assemblies are coupled or arranged according to aconfiguration. For example adjacent support assemblies may be fastenedusing any suitable means such as bolts, wires, wedges and the like. Foranother example, support assemblies may be placed adjacent to each otherwithout being coupled. In another embodiment, some or all of supportassemblies may be partially assembled when they are configured withother support assemblies. For example, in an embodiment, one or moresupport assemblies may only include some of the end support membersand/or side supports necessary to complete the assembly. In some cases,the partially assembled support assemblies may include loaded fuelcontainers. The partially assembled support assemblies may be configuredwith other partially assembled and/or fully assembled supportassemblies. Subsequent to or during such configuration, the partiallyassembled support assemblies may be fully assembled such as by adding anend frame and/or a side frame, loading a fuel container and the like.

In some embodiments, pipes may be installed through the openingsprovided by the fuel container support assemblies such as described inconnection with FIGS. 11 a-b. Such pipes may be configured to facilitatethe release of excess pressure from the fuel containers, fueling, orother purposes. The installation of the pipes may occur before, during,or after the loading of the fuel containers. The installation of thepipes can also occur before, during or after the configuration of thesupport assemblies of the fuel storage system.

In various embodiments, a reverse process of the process 1200 may befollowed to allow disassemble and/or unloading of the fuel containerfrom the support assembly. For example, to unload a fuel container, atleast an end support member and/or side support member may be removedfrom the support assembly. In some instances, one or more end supportmembers may be detached from other end support members and/or sidesupport members. For example, an end support member supporting the neckportion of the fuel container may be removed to allow the fuel containerto be unloaded from the support assembly. Alternatively or additionally,an entire end frame and/or a side support member can be removed tounload the fuel container. The components to be disassembled from thesupport assembly and the order of such disassembly may vary based onconsiderations such as specific structure of the support assembly, cost,convenience, space, weight and dimensions of the fuel container,configuration of the fuel storage system, and/or the like.

In various embodiments, the number and/or arrangement of the supportassemblies and/or members thereof may be based on the characteristics ofthe environment where the fuel storage system is used such as the typeand dimension of the cab of a vehicle. In an embodiment, suchenvironment information is obtained and analyzed, for example, via acomputerized modeling tool to determine a configuration (e.g., number,types and arrangement) of the support assemblies. In some embodiments,such determination may be aimed at optimizing the cost, space and/orother configurable considerations. According to the determinedconfiguration, the support assemblies may be selected, assembled and/orarranged (e.g., connected) such as discussed above.

As discussed above, the fuel storage system may be mounted, for example,to a vehicle according to various configurations such as discussed inconnection with FIG. 1. Alternatively, the fuel storage system may beused in a stand-alone fashion. As described above, in an embodiment, thesupport assemblies may include a small number (e.g., four, six or eight)of modular members with a small number (e.g., two, three or four) ofdistinct shapes that are easy to manufacture, assemble, dissemble and/orreuse. In some embodiments, the modular members are also designed to bedurable and lightweight.

It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particularimplementations have been illustrated and described, variousmodifications can be made thereto and are contemplated herein. It isalso not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examplesprovided within the specification. While the invention has beendescribed with reference to the aforementioned specification, thedescriptions and illustrations of the preferable embodiments herein arenot meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it shall beunderstood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to thespecific depictions, configurations or relative proportions set forthherein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. Variousmodifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the inventionwill be apparent to a person skilled in the art. It is thereforecontemplated that the invention shall also cover any such modifications,variations and equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fuel container support assembly for supportinga fuel container, comprising: an end frame comprising a first endsupport member and a second end support member that are detachablycoupled to provide support for a neck portion of the fuel container; anda plurality of side support members detachably coupled to the end frameto protect a body portion of the fuel container.
 2. The fuel containersupport assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the side supportmembers is detachably coupled to both the first end support member andthe second end support member.
 3. The fuel container support assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the first end support member and the second end supportmember are interchangeable.
 4. The fuel container support assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of side support members areinterchangeable.
 5. The fuel container support assembly of claim 1,wherein the first end support member and the second end support membereach comprises a neck groove such that when the first end support memberis coupled to the second end support member, the respective neck groovesform an enclosure around the neck portion of the fuel container.
 6. Thefuel container support assembly of claim 1, wherein the first endsupport member and the second end support member are coupled via afastener.
 7. The fuel container support assembly of claim 6, wherein thefastener includes a wedge or a bolt.
 8. The fuel container supportassembly of claim 1, wherein the first end support member includes anopening that is configured to facilitate release of excess pressure fromthe fuel container.
 9. The fuel container support assembly of claim 1,further comprising a second end frame comprising a third end supportmember and a fourth end support member that are detachably coupled toprovide support for a bottom portion of the fuel container.
 10. The fuelcontainer of claim 1, further comprising a trailing edge fairing usablefor reducing drag caused by wind, the trailing edge fairing detachablycoupled to at least one of the first end support member or the secondend support member.
 11. A fuel storage system, comprising: one or morefuel container support assemblies, each configured to support a fuelcontainer and comprising one or more openings configured to allowrelease of excess pressure from the fuel container, the one or more fuelcontainer support assemblies arranged such that the openings for the oneor more fuel container support assemblies form a channel for releasingexcess pressure from the corresponding fuel containers supported by theone or more fuel container support assemblies.
 12. The fuel storagesystem of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more fuel containersupport assemblies comprises an end frame comprising a first end supportmember and a second end support member that are detachably coupled toprovide support for a neck portion of a fuel container and a pluralityof side support members detachably coupled to the end frame to protect abody portion of the fuel container.
 13. The fuel storage system of claim11, wherein at least some of the one or more fuel containers supportassemblies are configured to be coupled to another fuel containersupport assembly.
 14. The fuel storage system of claim 12, wherein thefirst end support member and the second end support member areinterchangeable.
 15. The fuel storage system of claim 14, wherein theplurality of side support members are interchangeable.
 16. The fuelstorage system of claim 14, wherein the first end support member and thesecond end support member are detachably coupled via a groove and awedge.
 17. A method for supporting a fuel container, comprising:providing a partially-assembled support assembly comprising a first endsupport member configured to support a neck portion of the fuelcontainer and one or more side support members detachably coupled to thefirst end support member, the one or more side support members beingconfigured to protect a body portion of the fuel container; loading thefuel container onto the partially-assembled support assembly such thatthe neck portion of the fuel container is supported by the first endsupport member and the body portion of the fuel container issubstantially enclosed by the one or more side support members; andattaching a second end support member to the partially-assembled supportassembly such that the neck portion of the fuel container issubstantially enclosed by the first end support member and the secondend support member.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein attaching thesecond end support member comprises coupling the second end supportmember to the first end support member.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein attaching the second end support member further comprisescoupling the second end support member to at least one of the one ormore side support members.
 20. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising attaching a collar to the neck portion of the fuel containerprior to loading the fuel container onto the support assembly.